Primary grants management of Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) proposed to be aligned under the Atlanta Continuum of Care, managed by Partners for HOME

ATLANTA—Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced plans for the City’s management of federal grants to be centralized under one office, reporting to the City’s Chief Operating Officer. As part of the restructuring, the City has requested that the administration of Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) funds be aligned under the Atlanta Continuum of Care, managed by Partners for HOME (PfH). After months of planning, the restructuring is now contingent upon approval from HUD, Atlanta City Council and the PfH Board.

“Since taking office, this administration has made a number of structural and leadership changes in the City’s grants management operations,” said Mayor Bottoms. “However, it is evident that the long-standing, systemic issues with grants management require a more comprehensive restructuring to effectively serve the housing needs of those with HIV/AIDS.”

“As such, the City seeks to centralize programmatic leadership of HOPWA funds under the Partners for Home, led by Cathryn Marchman. Cathryn has years of experience in addressing the needs of Atlanta’s underhoused and we can build upon the existing Continuum of Care infrastructure to ensure timely processing, the making of key hires and other measures necessary to support and provide for our city’s most vulnerable residents,” continued Mayor Bottoms.

While the administration works with partners and stakeholders to approve the plan, the City is receiving services from PfH to coordinate with service providers in the rehousing of any HOPWA clients at risk of eviction.

PfH will be coordinating the Housing Relocation Team that will transition at-risk clients.

The Housing Relocation team will be comprised of the Office of Grants Management, Office of Human Services, Department of Constituent Services, service providers and HIV/AIDS advocates. This team will meet weekly until all clients are identified and re-housed.

The City of Atlanta will operate two concurrent and comprehensive outreach operations to ensure housing stability for HOPWA clients—a client identification outreach operation who contact information and location is known, and a field operation to identify clients living primarily in units master leased by service providers.

On Tuesday, July 15, 2019, field teams led by the Mayor’s Office of Human Services were deployed to master leased buildings, addressing the most immediate client needs.

PfH will work with service providers to ensure that all clients have a permanent housing solution in place. Those providers will conduct a uniformed comprehensive housing assessment to determine the housing needs of their new participants, including any special considerations or location preferences.

Clients who may need housing relocation assistance may also call 704-584-9385 for direct client support and referrals.

A HOPWA community engagement session is being scheduled to provide a forum for the public to hear and provide feedback on the restructuring plans. The HOPWA Advisory Committee meeting is expected to be rescheduled for the end of the month to discuss the modernization planning.

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